How Do I Protect and Care for My Amish Furniture

Congratulations on your investment in the quality of Amish furniture! After you have finished admiring your piece, if that ever happens, you might find yourself wondering how you protect this solid wood work of art so that it lasts you for years to come. One of the benefits of Amish furniture is the durability and strength of the finished product. Also key is the ease of upkeep, it takes very little to routinely care for solid wood furniture. Another lasting benefit is the ease in repairing everyday wear on your Amish furniture.

Trust Your Craftsman

Amish furnitureThe Amish have been perfecting their hand manufacture of furniture for generations. They source only the best products, using old growth hardwoods that are perfectly seasoned and hand finished with all natural products for a lasting sheen. The materials are almost always all locally sourced, grown by Amish farmers, milled by Amish millers, each family along the way with generations of experience under their collective suspenders. The patterns most commonly used by the Amish have been tested and refined for centuries, these traditional patterns have made the cut and been tweaked for better performance by seasoned professionals. They use solid joinery such as dovetailed joints to join their pieces and the wood is quarter sawn or plain sawn which makes for a sturdier finished product.

Get into A Routine

One of the natural benefits of the materials used in Amish furniture manufacturing is that they lend some water resistance to the finished product. No natural wood product is completely impervious to water, especially if left sitting but Amish furniture does resist most common spills. Simply wipe them clean with a soft rag making sure to get all of the spills. A damp rag dusted over the wood at least weekly is the majority of the upkeep you will need to keep your furniture looking its best. Regular wipe downs with a natural oil will lend shine to your furniture while also cleaning it and adding a bit more moisture resistance.

Repairs

The best way to avoid having to do detailed repairs to your furniture is to prevent them. But as with all of life, accidents do happen. To maintain the integrity of your pieces, it is important that repairs are handled as quickly as possible. Anything that cuts into the finish of your furniture, scratches, nicks, some types of dents, should be handled with natural waxes and oils to restore the wholeness of the finish and protect from moisture digging deeper into your piece. For longer marks and broken parts, it would be best to consult with a local woodworker or Amish craftsman. With the minimum of care and upkeep, your Amish furniture should last long enough to be handed down to future generations.

 

Give Your Kids Room an Upgrade with Amish Furniture

Do you have children whose room needs a makeover? Perhaps you need to upgrade from a toddler room to a big kid room? Or you need to make room for another child in the room? An excellent choice for children’s furnishings is Amish made furniture. It seems like a lot of children’s furniture these days is made to be disposable with flimsy materials or it is made very age-specific necessitating replacement as a child age from preschool to school age to tween. Amish furniture is a smart choice for every growing and busy family.

Durability is Essential

The durability of handmade, authentic, Amish furniture cannot be matched by anything mass produced in a factory setting. The Amish use traditional patterns that have been perfected over time. All Amish furniture is handmade using milling that makes for a stronger finished product and joinery that is the strongest available such as dovetail joints. The Amish use only solid, seasoned, hardwoods and all natural finishes. This furniture is made to last through not just one child but many and the grandchildren to follow.

So Many Choices

Amish furniture offers a variety of styles that will integrate smoothly with any decor. So when your school-ager transitions into a tween and decides they need to redo the room in all black or cheetah print, the furniture will not need to be replaced. There is a wide variety of bed sizes available including twin over twin and full over twin bunk beds for those inevitable slumber parties. Storage comes in a vast array of sizes, heights, and forms, from simple chests of drawers to blanket chests. Toy boxes and bed stands are also available, all with warm wood tones and the quality you expect from heirloom quality furniture.

Convenience for Busy Parents

One of the most modern conveniences of Amish furniture, of which most people are unaware, is that it is now possible to shop for Amish furniture online! No more time wasted making multiple trips into the country to order, check on, or pick up your furniture before you can start your redecorating process. You can shop for a new room for your son while you sit on the sidelines at his soccer match! You can choose your pieces, get information on the craftsmen, and an overview of the process as well as customize pieces to meet your needs in any place that you can access wifi! It’s the perfect solution for today’s time-crunched parents!

 

Why is Amish Furniture the Right Choice for my Growing Family?

Amish furniture is a popular choice among the most haute decorators. Rustic and kitsch are ever popular styles in decorating and country style is experiencing something of a revival. But Amish furniture isn’t just for the hottest decorators, Amish furniture is an excellent choice for a family. Amish furniture is a durable and lasting choice for a family, large, small, or burgeoning.

Quality Materials and Craftsmanship

The Amish use only quality materials that have proven their worth over centuries of use. The Amish use only solid wood for their furniture and the wood is milled in such a way as to be stronger in the overall finished piece. The patterns used in the furniture are traditional patterns that have proven the test of time. The furniture is designed to be solid, crafted and finished completely by hand. The joinery is made by hand and is part of the wood, the Amish tend to use dovetail joinery to add strength to a piece.

Stands up to Wear and Tear

Amish furnitureThe Amish are known for having very large families so it would follow that their most popular Amish furniture styles would be designed to last through many children. Indeed Amish furniture is considered heirloom quality. It will last through your children and grandchildren, probably longer. The all natural materials and added strength through construction ensure that any piece you buy will stand up to the worst your children can throw at it.

Easy to Keep Up

Children are not the most graceful of creatures. They spill things, they knock things over, they make a mess in general for most of every day. Amish furniture is perfect for busy families because cleaning and upkeep are so simple. Simply wiping the wood down with a damp cloth regularly and using an all natural oil every once in awhile keeps the sheen and beauty of your piece. Spills aren’t an issue as the finish gives the wood a natural degree of water resistance, simply wiping it away should suffice. Scratches, nicks, and rings, are easily remedied with a natural oil such as walnut oil.

A Perfect Choice

The durability of Amish furniture coupled with the low technology crafting methods and natural materials used make Amish furniture a very green choice for home furnishings. So many families today are concerned with reducing their carbon footprint. Choosing to buy Amish furniture gives you not only great looking furniture but the satisfaction that you are helping the environment with your choices.

The last but not least benefit of choosing Amish furniture for your family is that you can shop for Amish made furniture from the comfort of your own home or anywhere else you can get the internet. There are many sites online that work with Amish craftsmen to connect with consumers all over the world. These sites maintain a warehouse of the most popular designs and often allow you to customize in order to get the perfect piece for your family!

 

How to Buy Authentic Amish Furniture Online

Amish furniture is a perennial favorite for the savvy decorator. The classic styles and warm wood tones can fit into any decorating scheme and the pieces are created to stand the test of time. In the past acquiring Amish furniture required a lengthy trek consisting of multiple trips into Amish country to order, check on, and pick up the pieces that you desired. There are many sites online that purport to sell authentic Amish furniture, but how do you know that you will be getting authentic Amish made furniture when you order from a website. We all know that the Amish eschew technology, they do not maintain websites, do they?

Where to Buy Amish Furniture

It is very important to protect yourself as a consumer by doing your homework before spending a considerable amount of money on a piece of furniture. Vetting the websites you utilize is vital. Look for sites that do not shy away from providing their physical addresses and contact information. You should be able to find information on their warehouses, craftsman, and inventory. Look for sites that have quantities of information on the styles in which they specialize as well as information on the timeline from ordering to arriving at your door. You should be able to access reviews from other customers and the best websites have endorsements from the Better Business Bureau or other consumer protection entities.

How Do I Identify Authentic Amish Furniture

Authentic Amish furniture is always made from solid wood. You will not find cheap veneers and pressboard in an authentically Amish made piece of furniture. The wood itself will be quarter sawn or plain sawn. Quartersawn and plain sawn wood is more stable and shrinks less, it also lends itself to a more beautiful final look as the rings and lines in the wood add shimmer and flecks. When wood treated this way is finished by hand with sanding and varnish, it is far superior in appearance to anything factory made. Amish furniture is almost always joined using crafted joinery such as dovetails, anything stapled and nail gunned together is likely not authentic Amish furniture.

Protect Yourself but Enjoy Your Shopping Experience

The internet has brought the world closer together than ever before. This enables you to find information on nearly anything you want and shop for anything you want from the comfort of your own home. This means that you can have quality, heirloom ready furniture made by authentic Amish craftsman in every room of your home. Armed with the tips mentioned, you will be able to determine the best sites with the best inventory of authentic furniture to fulfill your every desire. You will have the quality and beauty of a handcrafted, solid wood creation delivered from Amish country to your door.

Save Time and Buy Amish Furniture Online in Washington

Amish furniture is highly sought after in Washington for many different kinds of homes and businesses. Classic styles that suit any design scheme coupled with durability make Amish made furniture a worthwhile investment. Authentic Amish furniture is handmade using tried and true techniques and all-natural materials. This makes the pieces durable and beautiful.

Most people believe that purchasing Amish made furniture is a huge time sink, with driving to a showroom or an Amish business then returning after the order is complete to pick up the pieces you have ordered. With today’s busy schedules, most people do not have the time to make long journeys, regardless of how badly they want to obtain quality furnishings. It is exactly for this reason that many Amish furniture retailers have expanded their businesses into the online marketplace.

Finding a Reputable Site for Amish Furniture

There are many sites online that purport to retail Amish made furniture. It can be anxiety-inducing to try to choose one. The vast majority of Amish sects eschew technology as a tenet of their faith. This means that Amish craftsmen are prohibited from running websites and selling their wares on the online market. In an effort to bridge that gap and open up the customer base, there are Amish furniture expositions in Washington which are highly attractive to non-Amish retailers. A good retailer will develop a relationship with the Amish craftspeople, setting them up to become the middleman for the non-Amish searching online for quality furniture.

  • Choose a site that can tell you who their craftspeople are, the materials they use, and the quality they produce.
  • Choose a site that is vetted with local business organizations and has published feedback of their business practices.
  • Choose a site that allows for ease in answering questions and doesn’t just take orders via an online cart process.

The site and the store representatives should be knowledgeable about styles, wood choices, finishes, and the personal talents of each craftsman. Shopping online gives you the ability to check and cross-check various sites in a short amount of time.

Why Buy Online

Buying online is a viable option for both those who can not travel the distance to a physical Amish furniture store and those who do have the ability. Shopping online gives you access to parts of the country that you can not reach by car in a reasonable amount of time. When you buy online, you will have access to a larger inventory than you would in a small family run local shop. Each retailer has access to multiple families run Amish manufacturers This will undoubtedly save you time as well as giving you a greater choice in furniture pieces. You will have choices of many styles, stains, wood, and upholstery options, no longer being constrained by what is only available locally or the style of the local craftsmen.

You can create the perfect combination that works for you all from the comfort of your own home! Another benefit of purchasing furniture online is delivered right to your door. You do not have to worry about coordinating your delivery through local services. It also saves wear and tears on your personal vehicles. Because many of the online retailers also maintain warehouses, you may not have to wait for a piece that you desire to be made by the craftsman then sent to the staining facility before it is ready to be shipped to you. This can shave months off of your shopping process!

The Choices are Yours

Shopping for a quality piece of Amish furniture, or a whole house full of Amish made furniture, is easier and quicker today than it has ever been. Although it might feel out of place to search for Amish furniture online due to the Amish beliefs about technology, there are many caring companies who have set up as middlemen online to assure that you have access to valuable furniture you desire for your home!

 

Use Amish Furniture to Bring New Life to an Old Bedroom

It happens to everyone; at some point, you wander into your bedroom and come to the unfortunate realization that you’re going to need a change, and you’re going to need that change soon. So, what can you do? Chances are you’ve already shopping for new carpet, but what about the furniture? If you’re like most people then you would REALLY like your next bedroom to remodel to be your last, and for that, you’re going to need furniture that isn’t breaking after six months. Okay, let’s be honest here, you’re not going to get that with big box furniture.

We all know that telltale ‘crack’ that occurs when you sit on your couch for the millionth time, or that horrific chip that’s missing from your entertainment center which you might later try to glue back in, but you know very well that it’s never going to look the same again. The solution to this is to start purchasing higher quality furniture pieces, and quite frankly, that’s going to mean looking into the best Amish furniture.

Amish Bedroom Set

Why Buy High-Quality Amish Furniture?

When you’re outfitting your bedroom there are a few specific pieces that you’re going to need which can include:

  • Bed
  • End tables
  • Dressers
  • Night Stands
  • Storage
  • Entertainment Center

 

Naturally, this is not an exhaustive list, and there are plenty of other options for you to explore when creating the perfect bedroom furniture set. The thing to remember, however, is that while there are many high-quality furniture makers out there you will definitely want to stick with buying online Amish furniture, and we’ll explain why. Some of the best furniture makers out there often use green wood, which is wood that has not dried completely. This tends to be a rookie mistake, and it helps to signify the importance of choosing a furniture maker that has been around the block a time or two and knows to use dried wood as this will keep the furniture piece from cracking, warping, or coming loose from its joints in the first few years of use.

Outfit your Bedroom Properly

If you take a look at our website you’re going to find a huge range of products, and unlike many physical Amish furniture stores, you will find that shopping online gives you far more access to different Amish furniture styles and different pieces. From Mission to Shaker, and anything in between, you can create the perfect bedroom set by choosing from our collection. We not only have the items that we mentioned above, we also have them in many different styles. Our beds, for example, come in the typical bookcase style, or you could go with the more stylistic wrap around, depending on your mood and preferences.

If you want to save some time, however, it would be a good idea to take a look at our bedroom sets which allow you to choose the type of wood and the type of stain. Remember that the wood type will change the price of the bedroom set, but it will also give you more control over both the look and quality – keep that in mind as you are about the task of designing the perfect set for your bedroom.

In the end, the Amish furniture for sale online and in stores will make your bedroom look great, and it will definitely raise the overall quality. Browse our selection, choose your material, and change your space in the best way. Amish furniture for sale online is the best way for you to breathe new life into an old bedroom.

 

Amish Furniture Stands the Test of Time

Amish furniture has become a popular buzzword of late. Rustic styles have had a revolution when it comes to decor and even the urbanest populations seek out the nostalgia and kitsch of more rustic styles. Nothing portrays rustic better than Amish made furniture and city dwellers are fast learning a secret that those who live around Amish country have known for decades: Amish furniture lasts. The quality construction of Amish furniture and the care that is put into building each piece ensures that every item is of heirloom quality and far superior to anything found on the mass market. There are more than a few reasons that Amish furniture reigns supreme.

Wood Choices for Amish Furniture

The Amish use only solid wood in their builds. You will not find any sort of plastics, veneers, or pressboard in an authentic piece of Amish furniture. The Amish source only seasoned hardwoods, mostly from their own local lumber mills. This means they can inspect trees before they are felled for pieces and that they know the techniques used in milling. Likewise, the millers will often pull out special cuts of wood and set them aside for certain pieces of furniture.

This communication from tree farm to carpenter makes for a level of quality control that is unseen in today’s mass produced goods. The Amish also do not use green wood in their furniture. Green wood is wood that is fresh, it still retains a lot of moisture from growth. This wood tends to bend and change size. This is not at all ideal for building. The Amish season their wood, ensuring that the moisture has left the wood before beginning work. Seasoned wood does not warp or shrink, it also takes varnishes and sealants better.

Centuries Old Techniques

The Amish take pride in the work that they do. A family will often have multiple generations working side by side in each carpenter shop. When a family member finishes schooling, which for the Amish is typically eighth grade, they go into the family business beside grandparents, parents, uncles, and cousins to learn on the job. This enables someone to learn techniques by seeing them employed over and over. Since the Amish eschew electricity and most modern technology, there is not a constant learning curve for Amish carpenters. They build pieces using tried and true methods. Some of the designs employed in Amish made furniture are nearly indestructible. A century old set of drawers made using dovetailed joinery often holds up better than a brand new particle board set that is glued together. The Amish do not often use staples, glues, and plastics in their construction if ever, they prefer older methods that have stood the test of time.

Attention to Detail

As mentioned before, the Amish do not use electricity or modern manufacturing methods in building their furniture. As such, they do not spend their days watching chair after chair fly by on an assembly line while air guns slap staples into the wood. Even still, Amish furniture looks as if it was produced by the most precise computer programming. The gloss of the varnish highlights the natural beauty of the wood, the angles of the pieces are sharp, the joints fit together seamlessly. This is due both to the ageless techniques employed and the care which goes into each and every build. Every hand from seedling to varnish is that of someone who knows their job well and relishes seeing a job well done. This work ethic radiates from each piece of furniture and contributes much to the durability of each piece.

Built Tough

Amish furniture is built to last. Attention and care go into every piece of wood, every bolt of fabric, each swipe of varnish, and it all comes together to create furniture that is an investment. Paying for quality today ensures that you will have something to pass on to posterity.

Live Edge Wood Furniture and Natural Edge Wood Furniture

When you think of furniture, even Amish furniture, symmetrical edges and corners come to mind. Let’s be honest, the Amish pride themselves on perfection, even though every single piece is going to be entirely unique. Live edge Amish furniture for sale, however, is something entirely different, and it’s definitely something you’re going to love if the rough, rustic look is something that you’re going for.

What is Live Edge Amish Furniture?

To be quite frank, live edge furniture is precisely what it sounds like. The furniture style involves the carpenter incorporating the natural edge of the wood into the actual design. Due to the existence of this design, there are many furniture makers who are able to incorporate salvaged wood that was otherwise unsuitable for conventional woodworking – it’s conservation at its best. Something important to understand when you’re at an Amish furniture store is that these pieces are not going to be cheap. Typical Amish furniture for sale is not going to be cheap by any means, but there is definitely something special about live edge and the amount of skill required to create unique edges and cuts. To put it as simply as possible, it’s an art form.

Live Edge vs. Rustic

Amish furniture for sale onlineSo what is the main difference between live edge Amish furniture for sale and the age old rustic furniture? Well, to put it as simply as possible, a live edge is a mix between the western and rustic styles. If you want to get down to the basics, rustic furniture features the raw elements of the tree it came from. In the rustic furniture arena, you have two different types of construction, the first being bentwood, where sticks are harvested freshly to create new and interesting shapes. Twig work is the second, in which the twigs are simply assembled to create decorative shapes. It is not abnormal to see hybrid pieces where both techniques are worked in together.

Live edge, on the other hand, uses entirely different techniques and is well adjusted for formal settings as it simply features the rough edge of the tree. You can find live edge furniture in many different styles, from both modern and timeless, making it perfectly adaptable to any setting. We tend to prefer our live edge furniture in walnut, as it lasts the longest and looks the best. Basically, instead of a smooth edge, you’re going to have a curved one that may be slightly sanded, but will most resemble the tree from which it was cut.

Unique Furniture to take Home

You can rest assured that any Amish furniture for sale is going to be absolutely unique and incorporate elements that have been passed down from generation to generation. The construction techniques that have been employed will excite you, and they will ensure that the piece lasts for many years to come. Unlike other furniture makers, you will not need to worry about green wood being used, which means your furniture is not going to warp within the first few years of its life.

This will ensure a more expensive piece, but it will also ensure a piece that is going to last you for the rest of your life. It’s worth the investment, and live edge Amish furniture for sale online will add that much-needed bit of character to your space whether it’s for your conference room, your living room, or your waiting room. Check out our options today and choose something different.

 

Three Ways to Tell You’re Getting Authentic Amish Furniture in Oregon

Your furniture serves not only a functional purpose but can define the entire atmosphere of your home. Quality pieces of furniture in a classic style are versatile and can last through many incarnations of your style choices. Good quality furniture is an investment and can be handed down to your descendants, becoming family heirlooms. Amish furniture in Oregon is always a good, solid, choice when shopping for furniture. Hand crafted and made from quality materials, any Amish made piece enhances the beauty and durability of your home. Are you seeking Amish furniture but do not know where to start? Perhaps you have a piece of furniture in your home and you are unsure if it is truly Amish made?

Vet Your Amish Furniture Store

Amish furnitureThe chief way to be able to discern if you are getting authentic Amish made furniture is to be critical of the place in which you purchase or look to purchase your Amish furniture. Most people are not lucky enough to be able to drive out to Amish country and stop by the local Amish carpenter’s shop themselves. For the unlucky majority, relying on resale shops and furniture specialty stores is the main way of procuring Amish made furniture. Ask a lot of questions. A salesperson should know where their pieces are sourced and manufactured.

Ask about the location of the craftsmen, what sect they are, what types of tools they employ. The salesperson should be knowledgeable about the wood uses, the varnishes used, even the crafting styles of each individual piece. If they can not divulge their sources and manufacturers, then it is likely that the shop does not sell authentic Amish furniture and you would be best taking your money elsewhere. Do not be afraid to check places like the Better Business Bureau to get your store.

Inspect Before You Buy

Before you place an order for furniture, inspect the sample pieces thoroughly. The Amish take pride in their work, there should be no evident flaws. Amish furniture prices do not run cheap so you want to make sure that you know what you are buying before you make a purchase. Any reputable store will not have any qualms about you inspecting their goods. Ask to see wood samples, varnish samples, and style samples. If you are buying online, these same qualifications should apply. Additionally, you might be able to rely on reviews from previous customers for your information.

Pay Attention to the Quality

Amish FurnitureAuthentic Amish furniture is made on a small scale so little details that can only be found when something is not mass manufactured should be present. Is the piece heavy or light? Most natural wood is heavy so any piece should appear sturdy and feel heavy for its size. The styles will be traditional in nature, shaker, Windsor, mission, rustic, cottage, etc. The Amish do not make more modern looking pieces. Check the wood, the piece should be solid wood, no veneers, particle boards, or laminates.

The Amish only use natural, classic materials for their furniture, the presence of the aforementioned manufactured materials is a dead giveaway that you are not looking at authentic Amish made furniture. Look for signs of the piece having been made by hand. Dovetailed drawers are a good indication of something being handmade and a trademark of Amish furniture. Hand sanding and finishing are also good indications. Do not be afraid to touch the piece, test the finishing under your fingertips, jiggle it, check to make sure it is solid.

Quality Shows in Your Home

It can be daunting trying to decide on what additions to make to your home, especially if you are venturing into a new area. Amish furniture is always a solid decision, it can last for many generations and the Amish classic styles fit into any design scheme. With the right frame of mind and attention to detail, you can assure that you are getting quality Amish furniture for your home.

 

Is Amish Furniture a Good Investment for Universities?

Amish FurnitureSomething that that absolutely must be said, is that universities are NOT schools. This is often misunderstood, but when you’re dealing with a university, you want something a bit more than the usual fare. You want prestige, you want durability, and most importantly, you want it to look good. This is where Amish furniture is going to come into the picture and there are plenty of differences as well as great options. So, what direction do you want to take this? Your first instinct might be to head to head to the local furniture store to see what you can find, but we’re here to advise you that this would be a terrible idea.

Many furniture stores make the mistake of hosting horrible furniture lines, made from pressed particle board, all of which are going to come apart within the next few years. When your university is all about prestige and honor, the last thing you want is a particle board couch that is coming apart at the seams. No, when you want something that is going to last, you’re going to want Amish furniture.

Amish Furniture – Beyond the Green

As you read this, one of your first thoughts is going to be simply that there are other furniture makers out there, many of which use hard wood, so why should you want to bother going with the more expensive option. Here’s something that you probably didn’t know: many furniture makers forget to allow the wood to dry out before they create their solid wood furniture. Over the course of time, wood tends to shift and change, meaning that when it is placed within a furniture construction, it could warp and crack. Wood that has not been dried out is referred to as ‘green wood’ and is simply a bad idea. Amish furniture makers allow their wood to dry, ensuring that when they put a furniture piece together, it’s going to stay together for many years to come.

Engineered by Hand

The furniture built by the Amish is engineered entirely by hand. One of the things that many people notice when they look at this furniture is that the surfaces are often as smooth as glass and sometimes even appeared to be machined, but most of this is produced with hand tools. This also extends to the complex joints that are used to hold the assembly together, with each joint created for a specific purpose. This hand engineering ensures that the construction will always be amazing and well done, but it also ensures that each piece produced will be unique. Yes, for the most part, they will all look the same, but each one bears the mark of its builder, and the minute differences make any piece of Amish furniture for sale one of a kind.

Fit for a University

Amish ShowroomThe Amish furniture pieces that you buy are going to be some of the most unique and most well built that you ever purchase, and they will be perfect for your university office, or even great pieces for waiting rooms if you want to go that far. Now would be a great time for you to take a look at our website, see what we have to offer you, and start the long process of outfitting your university.

If you need more proof, all you have to do is visit Notre Dame University in Indiana– we just finished up helping with a major renovation job that supplied them with the best Amish furniture the industry has to offer. Just imagine what we can do for you!